Thursday, September 12, 2013

Looking back on the number of years I’ve been interviewing performers, my favorite moment came during a telephone conversation with Graham Nash. I was writing a feature on him for the Illinois Entertainer, and mentioned that he seemed equally comfortable writing a heartfelt love ballad or a protest song about the mistreatment of whales. Nash then described how the inspiration for “To The Last Whale” came to him while he and David Crosby were sailing on Crosby’s boat, and one of the magnificent beasts came to the surface nearby. My interview with Nash was only a half hour long; I felt like I could listen to his tales for hours.

Next week, Nash will be sharing a great deal of his perspective on protest music, the British Invasion, the Woodstock generation, and the various women he’s fallen in love with over the years. He’ll be discussing his new autobiography, Wild Tales: A Rock And Roll Life (currently available for pre-order on his website and Amazon) with author Bob Spitz on Monday, September 16th at the Library Of Congress in Washington, D.C. A book signing session will follow afterward.

I’d like to think Nash will be promoting his book in Chicago and other cities, but he might have trouble finding enough time. He’s also embarking on a solo tour titled An Evening With Graham Nash that will visit various cities on the East and West Coasts. Some dates have already sold out. Then there are the Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young gigs at the 27th Annual Bridge School Concerts at Shoreline Auditorium in Mountain View, CA on October 26th and 27th. And if that isn’t enough to please Graham Nash fans, there will be a new Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young live box set coming out in early 2014.

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About This Blog

Broken Hearted Toy is an eclectic celebration of creativity, with over 2,000 posts since 2009.

It's based in Chicago but covers power pop, garage, cutting-edge, and 1960s rock from around the globe; along with occasional bits on art; literature; and theatre.

Top of the hill is a nice place to be at. - - - "Elevated Observations" by The Hollies.

Check out some of my previoius creative endeavors.

Sunday Morning Coffee With Jeff was a weekly Internet show created by and starring Jeff Kelley. It mostly consisted of comedy bits and obscure 1960s garage rock set to vintage TV and film clips but also spotlighted entertainment events around Illinois.

My wife Pam and I created a handful of series (each episode was about two minutes long) that were shown on Sunday Morning Coffee With Jeff. They included Manchester Gallery (see description below); Old Days, which I hosted in the persona of a cranky old man named Fritz Willoughby; Roving Reporter, where I played the clueless title character; What's With Terry?, a performance arts program; and Hanging With The Hollies, a takeoff on Breakfast With The Beatles.

I've also worked with Kelley and Willy Deal on comedy clips, and with Kelley and David Metzger on films for the annual Nightmare on Chicago Street Halloween festival in Elgin.

I'm particularly proud of this 21-episode comedy series Pam and I created for Sunday Morning Coffee With Jeff. Each installment was a few minutes long, and featured me portraying Terrence, the curator of a pop culture museum.

I was a staff writer for this Chicago-based magazine from 1987 to 2015. The Illinois Entertainer has been covering rock music for over 40 years, and can be found in stores and entertainment venues, as well as in an online edition.

Chicago Art Machine was a web-based publishing company run by Editor-in-Chief, Kathryn Born, and Managing Editor, Robin Dluzen, that included Chicago Art Magazine, Chicago DIY Film,Chicago Performance And Trailers, and TINC. Most of my submissions appeared in Chicago DIY Film and Chicago Performance And Trailers, although I contributed to all the online Chicago Art Machine publications.

I was a writer and performer with this local comedy group from 1989 to 2009. Famous In The Future continues to perform in the Chicago area, and appeared at every one of the Abbie Hoffman Died For Our Sinstheatre festivals that were held at the Mary-Arrchie Theatre. Since the closing of the Mary-Arrchie Theatre a few years ago, Famous In The Future has carried on the tradition by presenting Yippie Fest each year in August.

I'm an active member of SCBWI, (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) and have written two Middle Grade fantasy novels. I've just finished a YA/paranormal novel, and also wrote a suspense/satiric novel that takes place amidst Chicago's alternative music scene in the mid-1980s.

Broken Hearted Toy

The blog title comes from the line, "I'm the brokenhearted toy you play with" in the song "I Can't Let Go" by The Hollies. One of the great original British Invasion bands, The Hollies continue to have an immense influence on power pop bands to this day, and have finally been inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Here is a video of "I Can't Let Go" being performed in 1966.